By: Rusdiyansyah (WWF-Indonesia East Java Local Facilitator)

PT. Bumi Menara Internusa or more commonly referred to as PT. BMI is one of the big players headquartered in Surabaya focused on processing products from shrimp that are exported to foreign countries. Over time, the company that was established in 1989 now has several factories in the Dampit, Malang and Lampung areas. The company buys shrimp from the general public as well as from several farms that work with them, one of which is PT Tiwandi Sempana located in Pesisir, Probolinggo. It is this farm that PT BMI has been working to get certified by ASC-Shrimp in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia since November 2016. Many things have been done by the company, including developing a joint work program or what is called the Aquaculture Improvement Program (AIP) to meet the existing gap against the ASC Shrimp standard.

On May 31, WWF-Indonesia together with representatives of PT BMI and PT Tiwandi Sempana planted 10,000 mangrove trees on the coast near the pond location, Pesisir Village, Sumber Asih District, Probolinggo Regency. The planting of mangrove tree seedlings is a form of commitment and responsibility of PT Tiwandi Sempana to the existence of mangrove ecosystems to preserve the environment. In addition, mangrove planting activities are also one of the requirements for ASC certification listed in the 2nd principle of ASC Shrimp, namely Placing Ponds in Environmentally Appropriate Areas, and Making Efforts to Conserve Biodiversity and Important Ecosystems.

The planting of 10,000 mangrove seedlings is the first phase of planting from a total of 45,000 seedlings that must be planted within a period of three years or until 2019 with a total land area of PT Tiwandi Sempana which is currently operating on 9 Ha. However, in its implementation, PT Tiwandi Sempana experienced obstacles, such as the difficulty of obtaining seedlings at an economical price and quality. The search for seedlings lasted almost two months from March to April 2017. After several surveys, the seedlings were finally obtained from Pasuruan, which also manages mangrove tourism sites precisely in Penunggul Village, Nguling District, Pasuruan Regency, East Java.

Mr. Mukarim, as he is known, is a person who really understands the techniques of seedling and planting to mangrove care at a practical level. From the narrative of Mr. Mukarim, he has been struggling with mangroves since 1986. In the beginning, Mr. Mukarim planted mangroves in Penunggul Village with his own hands and money. This lasted for 11 years from 1986 to 1997. During that 11-year period he managed to plant mangroves on an area of 68 hectares. After years of planting mangroves against the negative stigma of the surrounding community, Mr. Mukarim reaped the rewards when his hard work was noticed by the Pasuruan Regency Government and included in various environmental competitions. He was later awarded the Kalpataru award in 2014 and 2015. Mr. Mukarim is determined to help the planting process succeed by teaching PT Tiwandi Sempana's pond guards to plant properly and maintain the mangroves so that they grow in accordance with the improvement targets in the AIP.